THE SITTING POSTURE FREES THE ARMS AND HANDS
This picture says it all…babies love sitting because they can play with so much more stuff…bigger and better stuff. At 7+ months Rochel demonstrates how a stable sitting posture enables her to play with much larger and heavier objects than she could play with while on her back or belly. The sitting posture frees the arms and hands so baby can eat or play. She now begins to learn how to open and close objects. She feels more independent as she can see what is happening around her. Sitting while grasping and reaching begins to involve movement in the hip joints, because objects are far enough away that she must lean forward to try and grasp them.
EACH MOTOR SKILL PREPARES BABY FOR THE NEXT
We examined how babies develop sitting posture, and now we understand how the skill of lifting the head develops excellent sitting posture which enables baby to grasp and reach freely. One skill facilitates the next. This is why a stellar caterpillar goes through every stage of motor skill development, spending enough time in each stage to stretch and strengthen the appropriate muscles. When a baby does not feel comfortable in tummy time, it is difficult for her to lift her head. Without lifting the head, she can not develop strong back and neck muscles. The baby who has missed the stage of lifting the head sits with a curved spine and is not stable. A poor sitting posture makes it difficult for baby to play with large objects, and she will fall over. In the development of a baby, the evolution of a sitting posture that provides stability and more independence is significant.